December 17, 2012

White House repeatedly declines to comment on gun control proposals

White House spokesman Jay Carney, asked repeatedly about gun control proposals coming from the Obama administration, declined to comment Monday.

Instead, Carney referred reporters to President Obama's comments from Sunday night in Newtown, Conn. in which he said:

"In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens -- from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators -- in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this.''

Carney said announcements would be coming in the next few weeks, and reiterated that a multi-pronged solution needs to include mental health issues as well.

"It's a complex problem that requires a complex solution."

He only said that the president still support a ban on assault weapons, though he was unable to say what Obama has done to take "weapons of war" off the street.

"There's no question...that the scourage of gun violence is a problem that has not been sufficiently addressed,'' Carney said.